According to the IT job board DICE, the top IT security salaries go to lead software security engineers who earn an average of $233,333.

SilverBull, a full-service IT and cybersecurity recruiting and staffing company based in Manchester, Conn. recently published figures for chief information security officer (CISO) salaries. They state that the average median CISO salary is $204,000. SilverBull lists the top six U.S. metros for CISO salaries as follows:

San Francisco, Calif. where the average CISO salary is $249,000, and ranges from $154,000 up to $380,000.

San Jose, Calif. where the average CISO salary is $240,000, and ranges from $149,000 to $368,000.

New York City, N.Y. where the average CISO salary is $240,000, and ranges from $149,000 to $367,000.

Washington, D.C. where the average CISO salary is $225,000, and ranges from $139,000 to $334,000.

Los Angeles, Calif. where the average CISO salary is $233,000, and ranges from $138,000 to $341,000.

Chicago, Ill. where the average CISO salary is $214,000, and ranges from $132,000 to $328,000.

Research firm IDC predicts that “by 2018, fully 75% of chief security officers (CSO) and chief information security officers (CISOs) will report directly to the CEO, not the CIO.” When CISO positions elevate to the C-Suite alongside chief financial officers and chief operating officers, it will arguably move the salary needle into the half-million dollar range for some.

“The cybersecurity job market is on fire” says Veronica Mollica, founder and executive information security recruiter at Indigo Partners, Inc. in Fairfield, Conn. “Our candidates are facing competing offers from multiple companies with salary increases averaging over 30%. Current employers are scrambling to retain talent with counter offers including 10% and higher salary increases for information security team members to remain on board” adds Mollica.

If you are an ambitious IT worker thinking about your next move, then you might want to cross over to cybersecurity. 35% of cybersecurity jobs call for an industry certification, compared to 23% of IT jobs overall, according to Burning Glass Technologies. The cybersecurity salary numbers suggest that the certifications are well worth it.